Review on the history, research, and applications of electrohydrodynamics

Abstract

Corona discharge refers to the phenomenon when the electric field near a conductor is strong enough to ionize the dielectric surrounding it but not strong enough to cause an electrical breakdown or arcing between conductors or other components. This phenomenon is unwanted and dangerous in high-voltage systems; however, a controlled corona discharge may be used to ionize a fluid and induce motion by directly converting the electrical energy into kinetic energy. Phenomena that involve the direct conversion of electrical energy into kinetic energy are known as electrohydrodynamic (EHD) and have a variety of possible applications today. This paper contains a literature review of the research regarding the EHD effects associated with corona discharges, from the first observation of the phenomenon to the most recent advancements on its mathematical modeling, as well as the advancements on specific applications, such as thrust, heat transfer improvement, boundary layer enhancement, drying, fluid pumping, and cooling.